At Sandpiper we like to keep up with the latest news and helpful information about pests with more than two legs. The Zika virus is on everyone’s mind. With the warmer weather settling in for the next 4 months or so, people need to be cautious. [Read more…]

Robber Flies inject their prey with a deadly combo of enzymes that paralyzes and liquifies their victim from within. They have FIVE eyes, the better to see their prey . They hunt other flies, moths, spiders and dragonflies.

Have you heard of the Wolf Spider?

from Wolfspiders.org

“The Greek name for wolf is Lycos, and wolf spiders (Lycosidae spp.) are named as such because they were previously thought to hunt in groups, in contrast to spiders catching their prey in webs. Wolf spiders are also characterized by good vision, females carrying their egg sacs with them (most do), and eight eyes.

Wolf spiders are diurnal and have fairly large and robust front legs.

They use their strong cheliceraes to crush prey, and they can inflict sharp stinging bites on humans. They are very fast and can reach a speed of two feet per second over short distances.”

Tomato Hornworm

These large catepillars will morph into a Five Spotted Moth. They have an insatiable appetite and will chomp up tomato and tobacco plants until there is little left.

There are over 150 different species of Mosquitoes just here in Florida! How many species of mosquitoes do you think there are in the entire world?

Mosquito Facts:

“There are more than 3,500 species of mosquitoes. About 175 of them are found in the United States, with the Anopheles quadrimaculatus, Culex pipiens,Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito) among the most common. The Anopheles is a malaria carrier, and the other three are known to spread various forms of encephalitis.

West Virginia has the fewest species of mosquitoes. There are 26 in the mountainous state, while Texas has the most with 85. Florida is a close second with 80 identified species.

Mosquito is Spanish for “little fly.” The word reportedly originated in the early 16th century. In Africa, New Zealand and Australia, mosquitoes are often called “Mozzies”

Mosquitoes don’t have teeth. The females “bite” with a long, pointed mouthpart called a proboscis. They use the serrated proboscis to pierce the skin and locate a capillary, then draw blood through one of two tubes.

A mosquito can drink up to three times its weight in blood. Don’t worry, though. It would take about 1.2 million bites to drain all the blood from your body.

Female mosquitoes can lay up to 300 eggs at a time. Usually, the eggs are deposited in clusters – called rafts – on the surface of stagnant water, or they are laid in areas that flood regularly. Eggs can hatch in as little as an inch of standing water. Females will lay eggs up to three times before they die.

Mosquitoes spend their first 10 days in water. Water is necessary for the eggs to hatch into larvae, called wigglers. Wigglers feed on organic matter in stagnant water and breathe oxygen from the surface. They develop into pupae, which do not feed and are partially encased in cocoons. Over several days, the pupae change into adult mosquitoes.” https://www.megacatch.com/mosquito-faqs/mosquito-species.html

The best way to keep those pests away from your home, yard and family is to make certain there are no containers around your yard with standing water. Make certain if you are going to open your windows when the weather is warm, that you close your toilet seat covers, we have found mosquitoes that love to grown their families in those little used guest bathrooms!. If you are doing all of these things already and you are still being pestered by these pesky pests with more than two legs, call us, we can get rid of them for you!!

Laurie, our children, Zach and Lesley, and I moved to this area from Lantana where I had worked for a large Pest Control company. Instead of looking for another job here in Sebastian, we decided it was time for me to own a business of my own. [Read more…]

Things we bet you didn’t know about Southern Fire Ants:

Southern Fire Ants like to live under parts of your house or office building. They particularly like the area around the foundation of your home, the base of your fireplace, and places where there is a bit of shelter from the weather.